Members of the National Parks Hospitality Association and National Park Service have been invited to Healthy Food in Parks to increase awareness and promote education of the healthy food options being served by national park concessioners, such as Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, a global leader in hospitality and food service.

The event is being co-presented by the NPHA, which is an association representing all companies operating in national parks, and Sysco Foods, a major food supplier.

“The National Park Service and its concessioner partners are committed to supporting healthy lifestyles in America by offering and encouraging healthy food choices. Each year, there are 35 million meals being served at the national parks,” said NPHA Counselor Derrick Crandall. “The NPS and its concessioners have worked to develop minimum standards for healthy foods in parks and to find ways to highlight the availability of nutritious food and its benefits. Choosing healthy foods will reflect a change in the buying habits for many park visitors, but successful efforts to promote this selection, coupled with success in making the healthy food enjoyable, can help encourage better food choices long after a park visit.”

The NPHA is the national trade association of the businesses that provide lodging, food services, gifts and souvenirs, equipment rentals, transportation and other visitor services in the National Park System. Concessioners have served park visitors since the 1870s. NPHA members have a combined workforce of nearly 25,000 persons -- mostly front-line, visitor-contact jobs -- and provide in excess of $1.1 billion in goods and services to visitors annually. NPHA members operate in more than 100 park units and generate more than $100 million annually for the National Park Service budget. Guest Donation Programs operated by concessioners have provided millions of dollars for park projects and programs.

“Operating in the busiest national parks, it's important for us to understand what our guests want,” said Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts and vice chair of NPHA. “Today's consumer enjoys our vast culinary capabilities, certainly expecting that healthy food is a component. As such, the Healthy Food in Parks event is a great opportunity to share best practices, meet with the suppliers, see their products and understand the wide array of healthy options that are available to us, the concessionaires and hospitality providers at national parks.”

“Sysco Corporation is proud to be working with the NPHA to host the Healthy Foods in Parks event at Sysco of Denver’s Food Show,” said John Miko, Sysco’s director of marketing. “We welcome our NPS attendees to the event and look forward to a day filled with education and product demonstrations that will support the efforts of the NPS Healthy and Sustainable Food program and the members of NPHA.”

About Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts

Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts is an industry leader, providing Stewardship and Hospitality in Special Places SM with hotel, retail, food service, recreation and transportation operations at historic and scenic properties in North America and Australia. The company operates Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida; in Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite national parks, including The Ahwahnee and other Yosemite lodges; The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake in Ohio; Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; and in Niagara Falls State Park. The company also owns and operates Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite; Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa in British Columbia; the Park Gate Lodges at Yellowstone, which are the West Yellowstone Holiday Inn, Gray Wolf Inn and Suites and Yellowstone Park Hotel, all located at the park’s west gate in West Yellowstone, Mont.; and five luxury resorts in Australia: Lizard Island Resort, Heron Island Resort, Wilson Island Resort, Kings Canyon Resort and El Questro Homestead and Wilderness Park. To learn more about Delaware North Companies’ hospitality management expertise, visit http://www.delawarenorth.com/parks-and-resorts-home.aspx.

About Delaware North Companies

Delaware North Companies is one of the largest and most admired privately held hospitality companies in the world. Founded and owned by the Jacobs family for nearly 100 years, it is a global leader in hospitality and food service. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden. Delaware North Companies has revenue exceeding $2.6 billion annually and 55,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.

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